Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets Caryota mitis - Lesser Fishtail Palm, Clustered Fishtail Palm

Edible Portion: Seeds, Cabbage, Starch, Sago, Palm heart, Sap

A small slender palm and the only representative of this genus in the Philippines which sends up shoots from the base of the trunk, forming clumps. It forms a cluster of closely spaced stems. It can be 5 m high. The trunks are 5-15 cm across. They have well spaced rings. The leaves point upwards. The leaves are twice divided and have fishtail leaflets. The leaves are 2-4 m long. The stems have black coarsely woven fibres left behind when the leaf stalk bases split. The flowering stalk is 25-45 cm long with pale cream flowers. The fruit are 15 to 16 mm across and frequently broader than high. The flower envelope is 8.5 to 9 mm across. The stems die when the fruit matures but other stems keep growing. The fruit contain stinging crystals so need to be handled with care. Each fruit contains one seed.